Last month, we said that the state of Vermont had introduced a feed-in tariff (FIT) policy that will encourage home and business owners to set up small renewable energy systems. FIT policies allow small renewable energy producers to sell excess energy from their home or business to utility companies at guaranteed rates, shortening the return on investment. Now, The New York Times reports that FIT policies are spreading to other areas of the country.

Last week, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) approved a policy that will allow owners of solar, biogas and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generator systems to sell the energy they produce back to SMUD. The SMUD provides service to 1.4 million people. The Times article says that rates will “depend on the time of day the power is generated, ranging from a low of 5 or 6 cents a kilowatt-hour to 30 cents on a hot summer afternoon.” According to an SMUD report, the policy will cover systems up to 5 megawatts, with an entire program cap of 100 megawatts.

The Times article also states that Hawaii is now considering a similar policy.

Photo by Mountain/\Ash/Flickr

If you’re interested in learning more about green-collar jobs, here is a list of people that are already working in the renewable energy sector. The Union of Concerned Scientists recently started its new Web feature, “Faces of Renewable Energy,” to provide profiles of Americans across the country that are already heavily involved in the clean energy industry. It just proves that green-collar jobs are already here and really can help boost our economy. If you’re looking for a job in the renewable energy sector, here’s an article from E Magazine that gives you a great place to start. Or read Announcing the Launch of Green Jobs Now for more information.

Comment below and let us know of any green-collar job opportunities that you’re aware of.

October 15 is Blog Action Day, a day that people all over the world write about a single issue. This year the topic is poverty, and today we have several related blog posts on this subject, especially as it relates to the sustainable living topics we write about here at Mother Earth News.

First, here’s yet another reason to love wind turbines and solar panels. Find out how Renewable Energy Can Help Combat Poverty.

You also can learn more about a practice that is not sustainable, but is unfortunately a reality for many people around the world who live in poverty. Learn more about how you can Become Aware, and Stop Child Labor.

Hunger is another important global issue, and how to feed the world’s people is one of the biggest challenges the global community faces. Tomorrow is an international day to draw attention to the problem of world hunger, so find out how you can Join in for World Food Day on October 16.

Finally, our magazine has a long history of exploring ways to save money and live with less. So for people who are not necessarily living in poverty, but who certainly understand the need to stretch every dollar, here’s our best advice from readers for saving money and living well on limited resources.

Do you have thoughts to share about poverty and what can be done about it? You can tell us your ideas by posting a comment below.

The X Prize Foundation wants to find solutions to the on-going problems involving energy and the environment, and the video below encourages just that. On Sept. 10, the foundation hosted a forum titled “Seeking Radical Breakthroughs in Alternative Energy — What I Would Advise the Next President.” Experts Dr. George Church, Dr. Saul Griffith and Dr. Ray Kurzweil came to present their ideas, which can be found here (Church), here (Griffith) and here (Kurzweil).

And now the foundation wants to hear ideas from the public.

At the forum, Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, announced the foundation’s new “What’s Your Crazy Green Idea?” video contest, sponsored by Prize Capital. The winner will receive a $25,000 prize for the best video with a new, world-changing X Prize competiton, relating to energy and the environment. The foundation’s goal is to gather ideas from a global perspective to find breakthroughs in clean fuels, renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, carbon reduction and sustainable housing. They’re asking for contestants to submit two-minute videos on their YouTube Web site that answer these questions:

1. What is the specific prize idea?
2. What is the grand challenge or worldwide problem that you are trying to solve?
3. How will this prize benefit humanity?

Three finalists will be identified, and then visitors to www.xprize.org will make the final vote to decide who wins.

The deadline is Oct. 31, 2008, so hurry up, and get started! For more information visit the X Prize Web site.